ODNR Issues 17 New Permits for Utica Drilling…Last Week

The permits to allow Utica Shale drilling in eastern Ohio continue to roll out from the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR). Here are the details on the 17 new permits issued in Ohio last week:

Seventeen new horizontal drilling permits were issued last week by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, including one for a new oil and gas well in Columbiana County, records show.

ODNR awarded Houston-based Hilcorp Energy a permit Jan. 8 to drill in Salem Township at the Grubbs property. It is the company’s first well permit in Columbiana County and the 62nd permit to be issued in that county.

Hilcorp has permits in Mahoning County, as well as Mercer and Lawrence counties in western Pennsylvania.

ODNR also issued 16 other permits to companies looking to drill for oil and gas in eastern Ohio’s Utica shale.

Gulfport Energy Corp., based in Oklahoma City, was issued three permits, two in Belmont County and one in Harrison County. The company has focused its drilling activity on this part of the state since production rates from wells drilled here several months ago exceeded projections.

Six new permits for horizontal wells were issued to Chesapeake Exploration LLC for sites in Harrison, Jefferson and Carroll counties, ODNR records show.

Also, ODNR let three permits to Hess Ohio Developments LLC for a well site in Guernsey County, while the company’s joint venture partner, CNX Gas Co. LLC, a division of Consol Energy, was issued three horizontal permits to drill in Noble County.

A single permit was also awarded to Antero Resources Appalachian Corp. for a new horizontal well in Noble County.